Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ascended the Har Habayis in Yerushalayim on Wednesday morning, igniting a firestorm of criticism and reigniting tensions over the contentious site just days before Pesach. The visit, Ben-Gvir’s first since rejoining Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition two weeks ago, drew sharp rebukes from rabbanim, political opponents, and Palestinian groups, underscoring the fragile status quo at one of the world’s most sensitive religious locations. Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, arrived at the Har Habayis under heavy police escort early Wednesday morning, flanked by personal bodyguards and a small group of supporters.

NEW YORK – City Comptroller Brad Lander launched a fierce response to Andrew Cuomo’s accusations, cursing the former governor in Yiddish during a press conference on Wednesday.

The Army has released the identity of the fourth soldier who died in a training accident in Lithuania, a day after his body was recovered during a weeklong search that took hundreds of troops and other rescue workers from three nations. The 3rd Infantry Division said Wednesday the soldier was Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan. It said Knutson-Collins and two of the other soldiers who died have been posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant. The other two sergeants who were promoted were Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois, and Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California. The other soldier who died was Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.

Just one day after posting a video in which he accused law enforcement of effectively keeping two of his aides “hostage” in the ongoing Qatargate investigation, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu returned to social media with another message—this time clarifying that Qatar should not be viewed as a hostile nation.
“Qatar is a complex country, not a simple country,” he says. “It’s not an enemy country, and many praise it.”
Netanyahu also spoke out in defense of Jonatan Urich, a close adviser who was recently detained as part of the investigation.
“Jonatan is a dedicated employee,” says Netanyahu. “He’s my political adviser in the Likud. He doesn’t have access to any classified intelligence material, but they say he praised Qatar.”

President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs during a highly anticipated “Make America Wealthy Again” event which he said will restore the American dream and bolster jobs for U.S. workers. “American steel workers, auto workers, farmers and skilled craftsmen,” Trump said from the White House Rose Garden Wednesday afternoon. “We have a lot of them here with us today. They really suffered, gravely. They watched in anguish as foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once beautiful American dream. We had an American dream that you don’t hear so much about. You did four years ago, and you are now.

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Authorities are looking to prolong the custody of Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, two key associates of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who are at the center of the unfolding Qatargate investigation, according to a spokesperson for law enforcement.
The two men are scheduled to appear at the Rishon LeZion Magistrate’s Court at 9 a.m. tomorrow, where a judge will review the police’s petition to extend their time in detention.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Dona

Following rocket fire from the northern Gaza Strip on Sderot this evening, the IDF issues an evacuation warning for Palestinians in the Beit Hanoun and Jabalia area.